She replied matter-of-factly, "Young Master Qi is naturally your cousin, Miss Third."

Before Xin Jiuwei could speak, Xin Xiyao chuckled softly.

"Miss Xue, where did you hear that Qi Huaiyu is my cousin, the young master of the Xin family?"

Xue Yingxue noticed the sarcasm in her words and frowned. "Miss Xin's maternal grandfather is from the Qi family of Yuncheng. That's what everyone says."

Moreover, Qi Huaiyu never corrected anyone who brought it up.

If he weren't the cousin of the Xin family, how could he have given orders to others in the Xin family? He even surpassed Xin Yunzhou on several occasions in the past.

"Let's set aside whether Qi Huaiyu is my cousin or not," Xin Jiuwei said, "Miss Xue has repeatedly used Qi Huaiyu's name to take advantage of the Xin family. By what right does she do that?"

Xue Yingxue's expression changed. "When did I take advantage of you?"

Xin Jiuwei chuckled and gestured for Wang Qing to hand over a list. "This is a list of items Miss Xue has 'borrowed' from the Xin family over the past three years, ranging from paintings and calligraphy to jewelry, totaling twenty-eight items. Not a single one has been returned. What does Miss Xue take my Xin family for?"

Xue Yingxue frowned: "How can you speak like that, Third Miss? Those items are all..."

"What are they?" Xin Jiuwei pressed on, "Miss Xue is probably going to say that these were all gifts from Qi Huaiyu, right? But it's clearly written here that Qi Huaiyu took them from my Xin family under the pretext of borrowing them."

Xue Yingxue's face paled instantly, but she still tried to remain calm. "These things were not asked for by Young Master Qi. He gave them to me on his own. As for any misunderstandings between you and the Xin family, how would I know?"

She spoke so matter-of-factly that even Xin Xiyao frowned, somewhat disgusted.

Xin Xiyao looked at her younger sister, Xin Jiuwei smiled at her, and then turned back to look at Xue Yingxue.

“Miss Xue.” Xin Jiuwei smiled with an unprecedented grace and politeness. “Since you don’t know what Qi Huaiyu has been doing behind the scenes, let’s lay these things out on the table today, so that Miss Xue won’t be deceived by him again in the future. It’s fine if he takes things from my family, but if he accidentally takes things from other families, I don’t know if the young ladies of other families are as easy to talk to as my sister.”

Xue Yingxue frowned: "You..."

"Jiuwei! What happened to you all?"

A voice interrupted, and Qi Huaiyu reappeared with an air of elegance, as if nothing had happened in Yuncheng.

"I heard your voice as I approached. What's bothering you again? You just got back from a long trip, so please don't be angry."

Xin Jiuwei coldly watched Qi Huaiyu's feigned nonchalance, a sneer forming in her mind. This guy certainly knows how to pick his moments.

Judging from his expression, he was clearly pleased that his father hadn't scolded him.

"You've come at the right time," Xin Jiuwei said calmly. "Miss Xue is asking my sister for that hundred-day peony. What does Young Master Qi think?"

Qi Huaiyu was taken aback, clearly not expecting Xin Jiuwei to ask him directly. He glanced at Xue Yingxue and coughed lightly, "This... if it's something Uncle Xin has agreed to, then naturally..."

"Young Master Qi and Miss Xue are quite in sync," Xin Jiuwei interrupted him, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes. "One asks for it, the other chimes in; anyone who didn't know better would think you were the young masters and ladies of the Xin family."

Qi Huaiyu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Jiuwei is joking. Miss Xue and I are just..."

"But what?" Xin Jiuwei asked Wang Qing to bring over a stack of papers. "This is the money that Young Master Qi and Miss Xue have spent at teahouses and poetry clubs over the past three months, as well as the treasures they've shown off. Every time, Young Master Qi used 'reading and socializing' funds drawn from my Xin family."

Qi Huaiyu, however, didn't seem to care. "The money I withdrew before was all in your name. I upset you a few days ago, and you wouldn't let me put it on the tab, so I haven't used it since. Jiuwei, don't worry, I work for Uncle Xin, so it's fine if I don't take any money..."

"He's really getting shameless," Xin Jiuwei thought with a cold laugh.

"Alright, let me ask you this: Your mother, Madam Feng, has been gambling away fortunes at the gambling dens in the west of the city these days, all with money from the Xin family's coffers. Are you aware of this?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, and Qi Huaiyu's face instantly turned deathly pale: "You...you're talking nonsense!"

"Nonsense?" Xin Jiuwei winked at Wang Qing, who immediately presented a wooden box.

Xin Jiuwei opened the box and took out a stack of receipts. "These are the records of Yongxing Gambling House. The Feng family goes there three times a month, and each time they win or lose more than a hundred taels of silver. As for the source of this silver..."

She unfolded the receipts one by one, and the Xin family's seal was clearly stamped on them.

Hearing their confrontation, Xue Yingxue's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt. Wasn't Madam Feng the wet nurse of Young Master Xin? And what was her relationship with Qi Huaiyu?

But no one paid her any attention at that moment. Qi Huaiyu flipped through the receipts, then suddenly looked up and glared at Xin Jiuwei: "Jiuwei, it's one thing for you to be willful and throw tantrums, but how can you arbitrarily follow and investigate others?"

"An investigation?" Xin Jiuwei sneered. "You've forgotten, all this money belongs to the Xin family. The accounting department records every single transaction. What kind of investigation is this?"

Xue Yingxue had already stepped aside, feigning concern, and said, "There must be some misunderstanding..."

"A misunderstanding?" Xin Jiuwei turned to her. "Miss Xue, you should worry about your own affairs first. If those 'borrowed' items aren't returned within three days, don't blame me for being ruthless and taking it to the authorities."

Xue Yingxue's face paled, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, but she still forced a haughty demeanor, "How can you be so unreasonable..."

"Enough!" Master Xin suddenly emerged from behind the tree, appearing before the crowd, his face ashen. "Huaiyu, are you aware of anything concerning your mother?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!